


every little thing she does is magic

by pandani



Category: The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Based on TLOU2 gameplay trailer, Contest Entry, F/F, One Shot, TLOU2 AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-07-10 16:53:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19909042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pandani/pseuds/pandani
Summary: In a world that's descended into chaos, people will find a way to take a break from simply surviving to let themselves live and maybe even love. Even the most weary of survivors can succumb to moments of normalcy.orThe Last of Us 2 AU.





	every little thing she does is magic

**Author's Note:**

> took a spicy little break from writing im&y au to quickly type up a one-shot for the prom discord fanfic contest!  
> lyrics at the beginning are from "little sadie" by crooked still, which is also the song that plays at the beginning of the tlou2 gameplay trailer.  
> lyrics at the end, as well as the title, are from sleeping at last's cover of "every little thing she does is magic".

_Went out one night to make a little round_

_I met Little Sadie and I shot her down_

_Went back home, jumped into bed_

_44 pistol under my head_

Emma leaned back, placing an elbow on top of the bar, trying hard not to look as awkward as she felt. She took a sip of her drink, grimacing as the whiskey burned its way down her throat, and surveyed the room.

Though she wasn’t one for big social gatherings, she had always had a soft spot for the fall festival they held every year that heralded the start of the harvest. The normally grey and drab compound, built solely for survival, went all out for this one night of celebration. A large tent was set up in the main courtyard area, a makeshift bar set up on one end, a small wooden stage on the other. Fairy lights were strewn about, making the whole tent feel almost like a dream, a beacon in the dark.

Emma continued to scan the room until her eyes landed on one person in particular- one person her eyes always seemed to find, no matter where she was or what they were doing. A small smile found its way onto Emma’s face despite herself.

Alyssa was dancing with Kevin, swift steps matching the up-tempo song being played by the band. Sweat was beading on her brow despite the crisp autumn air, a few stray locks of hair coming loose from the messy bun she had pulled her hair into, framing her face beautifully. A radiant smile split her face- the kind that made the corners of her eyes crinkle slightly and brought out the dimples in her cheeks.

She was absolutely enchanting, and after a cursory glance around the tent, it was clear that Emma wasn’t the only one that thought so.

Alyssa seemed to leave a sort of wake wherever she went, catching everyone’s eye and bringing a smile to the faces that were always haggard and tired-looking the rest of the year. From little children yet to be hardened by the world around them to elders that had seen the world descend into chaos firsthand- Alyssa’s energy infected them all, her laughter a balm to weary and tired souls.

Emma was no exception. In fact, Alyssa had always had this effect on her. The moment Alyssa and her mother had stumbled to the gate of their compound, starved and tired and on the run from a mixed pack of runners and clickers, Emma was a goner. Even scraped up, bruised, and bloodied, Alyssa made Emma’s heart pound. When they had first met, Emma could barely maintain eye contact with her, let alone hold a conversation, stammering her way through their first interactions. Her stammering would make Alyssa giggle, which would only make Emma even more nervous. Barry mocked her endlessly for that.

As time went on, the awkwardness faded and gave way to comfortable interactions. They were often given similar duties, given that they were both the same age and Alyssa had proven her survival skills early on. Somewhere down the line, they became best friends and confidants, Emma going to Alyssa whenever she was plagued by nightmares, Alyssa going to Emma whenever she was frustrated by her mother.

Feelings like Emma had for Alyssa don’t just go away, though, and she always felt a little guilty for the way her heart yearned for more, knowing full well she couldn’t have it.

She was taken out of her reverie by the sound of footsteps approaching her and a familiar face appearing in the corner of her eye. Emma straightened her back, leaning both elbows onto the bar, attempting to look aloof and like she hadn’t just been staring at Alyssa.

Greg leaned onto the bar next to her, a drink in his hand as well. Emma gave him a small nod of acknowledgement, trying to keep up an aloof facade as she idly looked around the room. She hoped that Greg would just join her in silence. Emma had a tendency to avoid conversation as much as possible unless the other person was Barry or Alyssa, but she especially did not want to talk to him right now.

“I hate these things.” He said. Well, there went that hope.

She scoffed. “Tell me about it.”

A moment of silence fell before Greg spoke up again. “Your old man really laid into me today.”

Emma groaned internally. She felt like she knew what it was about already. The recent increase in Infected sightings around Jackson County had everyone in the compound on edge, and rumours of a new cult-like presence appearing around the border didn’t help either. Barry has always been protective of Emma, treating her like his own daughter, but it had only gotten worse as tensions rose outside the safe haven that the people of the Jackson compound had built for themselves. It wasn’t like he had any real reason to worry. The Infected couldn’t really do anything to her, she thought, absentmindedly rubbing at the tattoo on her arm and the raised bite mark hidden underneath, and the rumours of the cultists could be just that- rumours.

It didn’t seem to stop him from trying to keep her out of arms way, though, which frustrated Emma a little bit. She has proven time and time again that she could handle herself.

On the off chance that it wasn’t about that, she decided to ask anyway. “What happened?” She looked at Greg questioningly.

“Another big lecture about my patrols. Don’t go here, don’t go there.” So she was right. “It’s funny how involved he gets whenever you’re scheduled to go out.”

Dropping his gaze, Emma sighed. “Yeah.”

“She’s, uh… she’s putting on quite the show.”

Emma followed Greg’s gaze to Alyssa, being dipped by Kevin as the song came to an end. Applause rang out around the room as Alyssa bowed with a flourish, wiping the sweat off her brow and laughing. As hard as Greg tried to keep his face stony, Emma recognized the look in his eyes- she’s sure that was the look in her eyes just minutes earlier.

“I give you guys two weeks until you’re back together.”

Greg shook his head, an almost bitter smile forming on his face. “Not gonna happen.” Emma raised her eyebrows. Seeing that, Greg’s face changed from bitter to slightly hopeful. “Wait, did she, uh, say something to you?”

Emma laughed in disbelief. “Make it one week.”

“Emma!”

The sound of someone calling her name caused Emma to look away from Greg to the girl approaching her. Her heart started to race as she found herself looking into Alyssa’s warm brown eyes. “Hey! What took you so long?”

It took a moment for Emma to collect herself and answer. “Well, I’m here, aren’t I?”

Alyssa took Emma’s drink from her hands, sending a shock up Emma’s arm as their fingertips brushed. Emma tried in vain not to focus on Alyssa’s throat as she downed the rest of the whiskey.

“Alyssa.” Greg said, nodding at her.

“Greg.” Alyssa replied flatly, barely sparing him a glance before she was looking back at Emma and taking her hand, pulling her onto the dance floor. “Come on.”

Emma followed Alyssa wordlessly, not trusting herself to say anything remotely eloquent while she had Alyssa’s hand in hers.

She heard Greg call out from behind her. “Hey, don’t forget, we leave at first light, so… get some rest.”

Alyssa saluted dramatically. “Yes, sir!” She said sarcastically before turning and continuing to walk towards the dance floor, rolling her eyes.

“You’re such a dick.”

“Come on,” Alyssa said, laughing lightly. “Don’t you start with me.”

Alyssa placed Emma’s hands onto her waist, resting her own arms on Emma’s shoulders. They began to sway, and that was when Emma realized that the band was playing a much slower song than before. She hoped Alyssa couldn’t hear the pounding of her heart.

“Okay, I have a very serious question for you.” Emma’s brow furrowed, sudden concern overtaking the chill she felt go down her spine at the way Alyssa’s voice dropped into a raspy whisper.

She tilted her head questioningly. “Yeah?”

A mischievous smile played at Alyssa’s lips. “How bad do I smell?”

Emma smiled, leaned in to Alyssa’s neck, and breathed her in. Underneath the sweat, Emma could smell autumn leaves and fresh forest air and the faintest hint of wild roses-

“Like a hot pile of garbage.”

Emma laughed at the affronted look on Alyssa’s face. “Oh. Okay.” Before she knew what was happening, Alyssa was leaning in and rubbing her slightly sweaty cheek onto Emma’s.

“Ugh!” Emma said through her laughter.

“How about that?” Alyssa said teasingly.

“Gross, ‘Lyssa!”

Alyssa’s voice dropped back into the raspy whisper from before. “You love it.”

If only she knew exactly how much Emma did. Emma bit her lip as Alyssa pulled herself closer and rested her head on Emma’s shoulder, continuing to sway to the music while idly fiddling with the hair at the back of Emma’s neck.. Over Alyssa’s shoulder, Emma saw both Greg and Kevin looking at them and talking to each other. Further to the right, she saw another one of the teenage boys, Nick, looking at them as well. All of a sudden, Emma felt uncomfortably scrutinized, the only thing keeping her from running being the comforting presence of Alyssa.

“Every guy in this room is staring at you right now.”

Alyssa raised her head a bit and looked around. Emma tried not to think of how much she missed the weight of Alyssa on her shoulder.

“Maybe they’re staring at you,” Alyssa whispered, the feeling of her breath on Emma’s neck sending a shiver down Emma’s spine.

Emma let out a shaky breath that she tried to disguise as a laugh. “They’re not.”

“Maybe they’re jealous of you.” Emma could almost see the teasing smile on Alyssa’s face when she whispered that. Emma tightened her grip on Alyssa’s waist ever-so-slightly and shook her head.

“I’m just a girl,” Emma said, shaking her head. “Not a threat.”

Alyssa pulled back to look at Emma, an unreadable look in her eyes. “Oh, Emma,” she breathed, tucking a stray curl behind Emma’s ear and resting her hand on Emma’s neck. Emma swallowed at how close Alyssa’s face was to her own. She could count Alyssa’s eyelashes, could still see the sheen of sweat on her forehead, could admire the curve of Alyssa’s upper lip, could almost lose herself in the depths of her eyes- eyes that seemed to flicker down to Emma’s lips for a millisecond before snapping back up to meet Emma’s eyes.

“I think they should be terrified of you.”

Alyssa whispered it so quietly that Emma wondered if she had misheard. What did Alyssa mean by that? She couldn’t possibly mean what her heart so desperately wanted it to mean, so what was it? Was it the copious amounts of blood on Emma’s hands, the awful lengths that she had gone through to stay alive, the ghosts of her past that Emma still felt like she was running from-

She was broken out of her thoughts by the press of Alyssa’s lips against hers.

Emma froze, eyes widening as her mind raced to catch up with what was happening. Her heart was pounding in her ears and her brain was quickly going blank because holy _shit_ , Alyssa Greene was kissing her.

Alyssa began to pull away, opening her eyes a touch to check in with Emma, but before she could even fully catch her breath Emma was chasing her lips and pressing them together in another kiss, both of their eyes falling closed as Emma’s grip around Alyssa’s waist tightened, one hand moving to Alyssa’s back to press their bodies closer together. The hand that was on the back of Emma’s neck tugged at her hair while the other hand moved to cup Emma’s jaw.

The swipe of Alyssa’s tongue against her bottom lip caused Emma to inhale sharply through her nose in surprise. She parted her lips, a strangled moan escaping from the back of her throat at the feeling of Alyssa’s tongue sliding against hers. Their lips were a little chapped and the room was a touch too hot and Alyssa’s mouth still tasted of whiskey but none of that mattered because Alyssa was kissing _her_ , Emma Nolan, and everything was perfect.

Emma felt Alyssa smile against her lips, sighing contentedly. Feeling emboldened, Emma captured Alyssa’s bottom lip between hers, allowing her teeth to scrape against it. She felt more than heard the small whimper from Alyssa, but she knew then and there that she would do anything for it to happen again. She bit down on Alyssa’s lip next, and this time a full groan escaped from Alyssa’s lips.

It may have been the most beautiful sound Emma has ever heard. In the back of her mind, Emma thinks that she could die right here, right now, and she would die happy, because she knew what kissing Alyssa was like.

Eventually, the kisses slowed, and when they finally pulled away, Emma opened her eyes to see Alyssa’s eyes still closed, a minute smile present on Alyssa’s kiss-swollen lips. Alyssa opened her eyes and sighed.

“See? I told you,” Alyssa said breathlessly, pushing a stray lock of hair away from Emma’s face with a tender touch. “They should be terrified.”

Emma lowered her eyes shyly, a part of her still in disbelief that this was real, that this wasn’t simply a beautiful dream- because, honestly, she’s had a dream like this before- and that Alyssa actually liked her.

Alyssa’s hands cupped Emma’s jaw and pulled so that they were facing each other once more. The adoration Emma saw in her eyes was entirely overwhelming, flooding her body with warmth, so Emma did the only logical thing.

She smiled, leaned in, and kissed Alyssa again. The rest of the world melted away, and Emma forgot all about Barry’s patrol schedule and gathering Infected and strange cultists because all that mattered in this moment was the way Alyssa’s lips moved against hers.

_Every little thing she does is magic_

_Everything she does just turns me on_

_Even though my life before was tragic_

_Now I know my love for her goes on_


End file.
